Game Day Info
Lindenwood (10-10, 0-0 OVC) vs. Eastern Illinois (10-8, 0-0 OVC)
March 20-22 | St. Charles, Mo. | Lou Brock Sports Complex
Series Notes
 
Game 1 | Friday, March 20th at 3:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Game 2 | Saturday, March 21st at 1:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Game 3 | Saturday, March 22nd at 1:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
 
LEADING OFF
The Lindenwood baseball team hosts Eastern Illinois this weekend to begin Ohio Valley Conference play. The Lions finished sixth in the OVC last season after posting a 14-12 conference record before advancing to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament, where they were eliminated with a 3-1 loss to EIU.

LAST TIME OUT
Lindenwood took two of three against Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Murray State last weekend. The Lions won the series opener 4-0 behind a strong outing from starting pitcher Josh Newell before dropping game two by a score of 3-1. LU responded on Sunday with another shutout win, prevailing 4-0 thanks to great pitching performances from Lucas Niemeyer (7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 0 R. 1 K) and Aaron Jungers (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 1 K) and a walk-off grand slam off the bat of William Zareh.

NOTES TO KNOW

• Lindenwood enters this weekend with an overall record of 10-10 with a 7-5 record at home.  They are on the back half of a nine-game homestand.
• The Lions are second in the OVC with a team ERA of 4.02 with a conference-leading four shutouts. They are limiting their opponents to a batting average of .245, which is also lowest in the conference.
• Freshman Lucas Niemeyer leads LU starters with a 1.42 ERA through 25.1 innings pitched. He is followed by Seth Benes with 1.50 ERA through a conference-most 30.0 innings of work.
• The Lindenwood bullpen is headlined by Aaron Jungers, who is 3-0 on the season with a save. He has a 0.47 ERA with 18 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .136 batting average.
• LU is batting .244 this season, which is the lowest average in the OVC.
• Jake Radosevich paces the club in RBI (18), home runs (4), slugging percentage (.537), and OPS (.970).  He has reached base in 16 consecutive games.
• Freshman Will Geary leads the team with 24 total hits and 12 stolen bases, which is fifth most in the OVC.
• Tyler Ellis is batting .309 and is currently on a team-best eight game hitting streak.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

• EIU enters conference play with an overall record of 10-8. The Panthers scored 39 total runs to take two out of three against Memphis last weekend before picking up another pair of wins over Arkansas Pine Bluff in the midweek.
• Eastern is batting .296 as a team, which is fourth best in the OVC. James Love is hitting .338 and leads the club in doubles (9), homers (3), and RBIs (16).
• The Panthers have a combined ERA of 7.10. Bryce Riggs is 3-0 with a save, leading the team with a 1.95 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

WEEKLY AWARDS
Josh Newell was named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week following his dominant performance on the mound in Lindenwood's victory over Murray State last Friday.
Newell had everything working in the series opener, tossing eight shutout innings in the 4-0 win. He allowed just two hits and no walks while adding five strikeouts. After giving up a base hit in the first frame, Newell was perfect for the next six and two-third innings, not surrendering another base runner until the top of the eighth.

CATEGORY LEADERS
Hits – Will Geary (24)
RBI – Jake Radosevich (19)
Home Runs – William Zareh (4)
Strikeouts – Seth Benes (30)
Wins – Josh Newell/Aaron Jungers (3)

UP NEXT
The Lions will host Mizzou on Wednesday, March 25th at 4:00 p.m. before resuming conference play at UT Martin next weekend. Game one against the Skyhawks is set for Friday, March 27th at 5:00 p.m.